Understand how the US
blockade causes blackouts in Cuba.
Despite international
condemnation, sanctions make energy prices up to three times more expensive for
the country
Gabriel
Vera Lopes, Brasil de
Fato | Havana (Cuba) | March 20, 2024
On Sunday (17), many protests took place in the province of
Santiago de Cuba (on the east side of the country) against the prolonged and
repeated power cuts, which reached over six hours per day. Its context is
marked by a serious economic and energy crisis the island has long been facing.
The situation was aggravated by record high temperatures in
Cuba, which has increased the need for energy.
Protesters also complained about the lack and delays in the
distribution of the so-called canasta familiar (basic-needs grocery package), a
food distribution system through which the state subsidizes prices.
Considerably cheaper than the grocery packages available at markets, it aims to
guarantee food security for the Cuban population.
The canasta familiar has been dealing with delays in the
delivery of many of the products it includes, since a big part of them need to
be imported. The Sunday protests in Santiago, Cuba’s second-largest city, were
particularly related to delays in milk delivery.
Dialoguing with protesters
During the protests, many of the province’s officials met
with the protesters to hear from them about their demands, in addition to
talking to them. Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, former governor and current secretary
of the Cuban Communist Party in Santiago, was one of them.
In a video on social media, Urrutia said the dialog happened
in a "respectful manner" and that she "listened carefully to the
information provided". She also stressed that the authorities are aware of
the "damages to the national electricity system caused by the problems
faced by thermoelectric power plants and the availability of fuel.”
Similarly, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel posted a series
of messages on his official account on X (formerly Twitter) reinforcing the
government’s disposition to “address our people’s demands, listen, talk and
explain about the many measures being taken to improve the situation.” “Amid the conditions [imposed] by the US
blockade, which intends to suffocate us, we will continue to work in peace to
get out of this situation,” he concluded.
Three times more expensive
Consulted by Brasil de Fato, Alejandro Lopéz, an electrical
engineer and specialist at the state-owned Cuban company Unión Eléctrica,
argues that the country’s problems in the energy sector "cannot be
understood without taking into account the illegal blockade that Washington has
maintained against the island for decades.”
"A big part of the fuel the country consumes is
imported. We're talking about essential supplies for energy production, but
also for transportation and agriculture. It is very difficult for the state to
import fuel. As the blockade means that every ship that enters a Cuban port is
sanctioned by the US government, shipping companies generally can't operate in
Cuba. And if they do, it's always at costs well above the international
price," he explains.
It is estimated that energy imports cost the Cuban state up
to three times more than the average international price. Therefore, on the one
hand, the country's economy is directly affected, causing the Cuban state to
lose substantial resources. On the other hand, sanctions against shipping
companies make it very difficult to guarantee a constant flow of freight. As a
result, there are ongoing problems with supplies.
In addition to the abovementioned problems, all of the
country's thermal power plants have old machinery, some of which have over 30
years of use. As a result, it is relatively easy for them to break down,
reducing energy distribution to the country.
"Both maintenance and renewal of parts or machinery are
very expensive. On the one hand, the blockade restricts the possibilities of
accessing funding for these investments. For example, Cuba cannot access
international financial markets. At the same time, the import of spare parts –
which, in itself, involves large investments – is even more expensive because
of the blockade."
Solidarity blackouts
Due to the country’s energy deficit, the Cuban government is
planning a series of “solidarity blackouts” (scheduled power cuts) to save
energy. These blackouts are established in each province. They divide the
region into “blocks” where "solidarity blackouts” alternate for weeks.
These energy shortages last longer outside Havana, Cuba’s capital city.
Alejandro López explains that each province maps places
considered as priorities (such as hospitals or residences of vulnerable people
due to diseases/age, people who cannot be without electricity) that cannot be
affected by blackouts.
At the same time, Cuba maintains a system of heavy energy
subsidies, both for companies (including private companies) and domestic
consumption, which accounts for around 65% of the total. In 2023, the cost of
energy for the state was almost eight times higher than that paid by consumers.
Foreign interference
During the protests, the US Embassy in Havana made a public
statement “urging” Cuban authorities to “respect [protesters’] human
rights." The statement insinuated that the Cuban government does not
respect human rights.
In response, on Monday morning (18), the Cuban Ministry of
Foreign Affairs called a meeting with the US Embassy authorities to convey its
"firm rejection of interference" due to the "slanderous messages
from the US government and its embassy in Cuba about Cuba’s internal affairs.”
The Cuban authorities pointed out that, according to the
rules of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomatic missions
should not issue opinions on the internal politics of the country in which they
are located, something the US Embassy in Cuba systematically violates.
The Cuban authorities also emphasized that "direct
responsibility" for the "shortages and difficulties the population
faces daily" lies mainly with the illegal economic blockade maintained by
the United States against Cuba. The Caribbean state accuses Washington of
"limiting and obstructing all the Cuban state's efforts to find solutions
and provide answers to the country's economic and social needs.”
The UN General Assembly first addressed the US blockade
against Cuba in 1992. Since then and every year, the General Assembly has voted
by an overwhelming majority to end the blockade, a series of measures that
interrupt the normal development of Cuba's economy and directly interfere with
the daily lives of Cubans. However, year after year, Washington has ignored
this demand from the international community.
According to the most recent document the UN General
Assembly approved by 187 votes, with Ukraine abstaining and only the United
States and Israel voting against, the blockade generated a loss of US$13
million per day for the Cuban state last year alone.
Edited by: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
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